Insomnia
by just a cane and a rusty throne
Summary: "Unbeknownst to the rest of the crew - even his brother - Hamish was an insomniac." / A oneshot showcasing the completely underrated and underrepresented bromance between Kat and Hamish.


Unbeknownst to the rest of the crew-even his brother-Hamish was an insomniac. He was used to staying up until four, five in the morning and running on only a few hours of sleep. It was just who he was.

With the insomnia came a routine of sorts. Every morning at around four, he'd give up on trying to sleep and just walk around the house. Sometimes he'd get an early morning snack, sometimes he'd read a book, and sometimes he would just sit and think. No matter what, though, he was always alone.

So you can imagine his surprise when he wandered into the living room one morning to find Kat, curled up on a couch with a book of some sort clutched tightly in her arms. What was even more surprising was the fact that she had obviously been crying; her eyes and cheeks were red and puffy, and she was still sniffling. In all the years that Hamish had known the girl (basically his entire life), he'd only seen her cry a few times, and those tears were hardly ever real. These tears, however, obviously were, which shocked him enough to leave him blinking in the doorway for a good two minutes.

Finally, Kat looked up at him and whispered, "Couldn't sleep?"

Still kind of stunned, Hamish replied, "I never sleep."

Kat furrowed her brow at this, but didn't say any more. Hamish racked his brain for a reason as to why Kat would be up this late-or this early, depending on your perspective-and why she would be crying. Fortunately, she seemed to register his confusion and said, "Today's…"

She bit her lip to keep from crying again, unable to finish the sentence.

Hamish's eyes widened the slightest bit as he remembered the date. "It's your mom's birthday."

Kat nodded, knowing that if she tried to talk she would just break down again. Hamish sat next to her and put his arm around her shoulders, pulling her into a brotherly embrace. She squeezed her eyes shut as she rested her head on his shoulder.

Still a bit confused, Hamish rubbed her arm soothingly and hoped she wouldn't start crying again. He was not good with crying girls, especially girls like Kat. He loved her like a little sister, but when she let herself be emotional it was usually a train wreck.

"I just wish I had had more time to get to know her, you know?"

Hamish nodded and remembered the book she'd been holding. He realized now that it was a photo album-probably the one her mom had been keeping. He knew that Bobby had started working on it again a few months after she'd died, but he hadn't kept up with it very well. It was mostly pictures of Kat with her family as a toddler, with a few random pictures of Kat and the crew as they'd gotten older. Hale wasn't even in it, as far as Hamish knew. It wasn't much, and Kat probably didn't even remember what was happening in half of the pictures, but it meant a lot to both her and her dad.

Kat was still sniffling, but she didn't look like she was going to break down in tears anymore. Hesitantly, Hamish asked her the question that had been bothering him almost since he'd found her. "Kat… You've never been this… emotional, about your mom before. What's different now?"

Kat sighed and chuckled a little, though her small smile held no humor. "I was just thinking about something. It's kind of selfish, really." She sighed again, and it seemed to move her entire body. Hamish was reminded that, though she was possibly the best thief of her time, she was still only sixteen, and pretty small for her age. He understood why Hale was so protective of her sometimes. "I was just thinking about how Gabrielle, Simon, and you and Angus… you all have your moms. I'm sure you guys don't get to see them as often as you'd like, but you all still have good, healthy relationships with them. And Hale… His mom is an ass, there's no denying that, but at least he _knows _his mom is an ass. I hardly even remember what my mom looked like, much less who she was."

When Hamish didn't respond, she looked up at him and groaned. "That sounded bad. I'm sorry, I just… I just wish I'd been old enough to remember her."

Hamish nodded and tried to shoot her a reassuring smile. He didn't think it was working. Heart-to-hearts were not his forte.

When Kat sighed again, her body sagged.. They sat together for awhile, lost in their own thoughts. It took Hamish nearly an hour to realize that Kat had fallen asleep. She looked quite ridiculous, honestly, her head bent at an awkward angle. Hamish took a mental picture before nudging her gently. She stirred, but didn't wake. He poked her cheek, then her side, but she only mumbled something incoherent and weakly swatted his hand away.

Hamish made a face. He was entirely positive that Kat was awake. He was also positive that he didn't have much of a choice but to carry her.

"Okay, Kitty. If that's how you're gonna be…" Struggling more than he would ever admit, Hamish crouched down to her height and slung her over his shoulder. She protested, but Hamish managed to make it as far as the hallway before she punched his back so hard that he nearly dropped her on her head. Kat giggled while Hamish grimaced. "Thanks a lot, Kat. I was doing you a service."

Kat rolled her eyes, but quickly sobered. "Seriously though. Thank you, Hamish. I had planned on getting through this alone, but I didn't realize that I really needed a friend."

Slightly bashful, Hamish saluted. "Any time, Kitty Kat."

_Literally any time, _he couldn't help but think. _I never sleep. _

Kat smiled and carefully tip-toed into the room she shared with her cousin. Hamish walked back out to the living room, ready to start again his routine of not-sleeping.

* * *

_I really wish the books showed more of Kat's relationship with Simon and the Bagshaws. There's a lot of Kat/Hale and Kat/Gabrielle, which I love, but we forget that Kat has known the boys pretty much her entire life - there has to be a beautiful bromance there, and I do enjoy a good bromance. _

_I enjoyed writing this oneshot, and I hope you enjoyed reading it. Reviews would be very much appreciated :)_


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